


Birthday plans

by A_Nameless_Ghoul



Category: Ghost (Sweden Band)
Genre: F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-29
Updated: 2019-03-29
Packaged: 2019-12-26 01:50:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18273344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_Nameless_Ghoul/pseuds/A_Nameless_Ghoul
Summary: The Cardinal plans a special day for his s/o's birthday.





	Birthday plans

Back in his chambers the Cardinal paced in front of his desk. The thud of his footsteps on the old wooden floor clattered in his brain, the echo seeming only to accentuate the emptiness in his mind as he tried desperately to come up with an idea.

The Cardinal thought back over the months he and his darling (_) had spent together. He tried to recall each moment, every instance of information she had shared with him. He thought about the first time he saw her, as she walked through the gardens chatting with the Head Sister. He remembered the way his world suddenly seemed brighter then, as if the sun shone only in her presence. He remembered the first time they spoke, and the butteries that filled his chest that day. They seemed to whisper words of courage, urging him on as he approached her. The extra long lunch hours in the dining hall, spent laughing together as they shared dessert. The late night trips to the library they took together, sneaking out passed curfew and finding refuge amongst the old leather-bound books. The Cardinals heart soared. Those were some of his favorite memories with her. But it was the details that continued to elude him. They crashed back to him haphazardly and in waves, all at once, then none at all. Perpetually clouded by the thick fogged of passing time.  _Perhaps I would remember more clearly if I wrote things down._ He thought.  _At least then it would be all out in front of me._       

Organization had never been the Cardinals strongest attribute, but he figured it was worth a shot. He sat at his desk and flipped through his notebook until he found a blank paged. He dipped his quill in the inkwell that sat in the corner of his desk and started to write as many details about her likes as he could, in no particular order;

  *     *       *         *           *             * Blue cornflowers
            * Raspberries
            * The smell of rain
            * The sound of wood burning in a fireplace
            * Hand written letters



He stopped. That had given him an idea. It was perfect, he thought. The best way to make her birthday special, and show her how much he cares for her, was with letters. In writing he would be able to say all the things that he had found himself too awkward to say in conversation. He turned the page and wrote, words spilling from his quill with ease.  _Yes. This is perfect._  He thought. Barely able to contain his excitement about what was to come.  

The next morning, the Cardinal strode into the dining hall to meet (_) for breakfast, much like every morning. He passed between the rows of long dining tables and bench seating, scanning the crowded room for his lover. He spotted her at the far end of the hall, and made his way over, his hand in the pockets of his cassocks, running his fingers over the edges of the letter he had written for her. 

"Good morning, tesoro." He greeted, leaning down and kissing her cheek. He took a seat on the bench next to her. 

"Good morning Copia." She smiled at him, resting her hand on hid thigh. "Did you get much sleep last night love? I came by your room to say goodnight yesterday and saw you writing madly. You must have had lots of work to finish. You looked so focused, I didn't want to break your concentration." 

"Ah.. Not to worry, tesoro. Everything was finished in a timely manner. All that needed to be completed for today is ready." The Cardinal assured.

"Oh that's a relief. If your not busy at the moment, would you care to join me for some breakfast? I'll fix you a plate." His love offered. 

"Oh I would be delighted, however.. ehh... there are some things that... eh, require my attention this morning. Important business to attend to... for.. a meeting tonight."

The Cardinal was struck by a pang of guilt, seeing his lovers face drop in disappointment at his answer. He hated to disappoint her, but he knew that in order for today to run smoothly, he needed time to set up. Suddenly remembering the letter, the Cardinal dug his hand into his pocket and pulled out an ornate vintage envelope, the corners embellished with a golden damask print and the front held closed with a wax seal. He handed the letter to his lover. She took it and looked up at him, curious. 

"What's this about?" She asked.

"Oh, just a little something for you, tesoro. My apologies for being so consumed with eh..my work. I'll see you later. Perhaps a late lunch in the gardens together is in order eh?" He said, kissing her cheek before taking off towards the kitchen.  _Five hours till lunch should be just enough time. Now to find Aether and start the preparations._

Copia arrived in the kitchen to find Aether already dressed in his apron, ingredients piled up on the large stainless steel island in front of him.

"Ah there you are Cardi! Get yourself dressed so we can start." Aether instructed, tossing an apron over the counter at the Cardinal.

"Thank you for your help Aether. I'm not much of a cook you know." The Cardinal said. 

"Absolutely. No trouble at all. You know how much I love to bake." Aether assured. "I'm sure (_) will love these. How did you get the idea to make vaniljhärtan anyhow?" He asked.

"Well, you know my tesoro. She is my heart so the cookies just make sense. But, eh, I would like to make these ones with a twist, if you don't mind." The cardinal said, walking to the fridge and pulling out a basket of raspberries, setting them on the table. "My tesoro, she loves raspberries. She once told me that they are her favorite food because they remind her of when she was a young girl. How she would play in the garden at her grandmothers cottage, hiding amongst the flora, and eating wild raspberries off the bushes. She said it was a time of great joy for her, and I would like to give her some of that joy today." The Cardinal explained. 

"That's lovely Cardinal. So I take it you'd like to add a raspberry filling to the cookies?" Aether asked.

"Along with the traditional vanilla, yes."

"Alrighty then, let's get to work."

_______

As Aether and the Cardinal were making progress in the kitchen, (_) had returned to her room and flopped tummy first onto her bed. She held the Cardinals letter in her hands, turning it over and admiring the details. It felt heavy in her grasp, and thicker than an ordinary letter.  _There must be a lot written in here._ She thought. Unable to control her curiosity any longer, she tore open the envelope and dumped its contents onto her bed. Inside there had been two separate letters. The first, a small note-card with a poem that read;

_Roses pink and cornflowers blue_

_Where I wish to spend a lifetime with you_

_Lunch at 1, please don't be late_

_Meet me at the spot where we had our first date_

_Yours always,_

_\- Copia_

Butterflies erupted in (_)'s chest as she read. The excitement coursed through her at the thought of what the Cardinal could be planning. Earlier today at breakfast, he had given her no indication that anything out of the ordinary would happen today. Or maybe he had? She couldn't really tell. There was something about the Cardinals slightly awkward demeanor that made him difficult to read. That was one of the things she had first found so intriguing about him. 

She picked up the second item from the envelope. A piece of paper folded into thirds, with the words 'For My Love' written across the top. She unfolded the paper and read. When she had finished reading she rolled over onto her back and pressed the letter to her chest. Her heart felt as though it might leap out of her chest at the words the Cardinal had written to her. She felt as though her blood was made of gunpowder and the Cardinal sparked a match. Silently she thanked The Dark Powers That Be for bringing such a wonderful man into her life.

Rolling over and looking at the clock on her nightstand, she deiced it was time to get ready to go meet the Cardinal for their date. 

______

Out in the gardens, in a small alcove tucked away behind a lush wall of wildflowers, Copia was putting the finishing touches on his date set up. He had planned a birthday picnic in the same spot where he and (_) had their first date. It was perfect. Just enough space for two people to sprawl out on a picnic blanket. Shaded by the laburnum trees at the edge of the gardens, and hidden behind thick walls of hollyhocks, black and bloom slavia, and white hydrangea bushes, it was far enough from the path that none of the clergymen or laity out for a walk would happen upon them. 

The Cardinal picked a cornflower from the mix of cornflowers and daisies that speckled the ground of the alcove. With a pin that he pulled from the picnic basket, he attached the blue flower to the front of his cassock. He picked another and fastened a pin to that one as well, for his lovely tesoro to wear when she arrived. He unpacked the container of freshly made cookies that he and Aether had spent the morning baking, along with two small china plates, two champagne flutes, and a bottle of his loves favorite champagne. He also brought out a single birthday candle, which he stuck on top of the pastry that he had placed on her plate.  

The Cardinal looked up as he heard footsteps approaching from around the bend. He held his breath in anticipation, briefly worried that this may have all been too much. What if she didn't want to spend her birthday with him. What if there was a reason she hadn't told him about it. But as she rounded the corner, the sight of her made all his fears melt away like the image of the setting sun over the ocean. 

"My tesoro. You look beautiful today." He crooned. Pulling her close to him, and holding her in gentle embrace. "Happy birthday my darling." He beamed at her, and gestured towards the picnic he had set up. 

"Copia," She started, the warmth she felt at his gesture seeping from her chest into every cell of her body, turning her cheeks pink and lighting her eyes with joy. "How did you know it was my birthday?"   

"Well.. ah. It's a boyfriends duty to know, you see? Come, sit. I made you something." He guided her over to the blanket and they both sat. The Cardinal handed her a plate that held a heart shaped pastry with a single birthday candle on top. He reached into the picnic basket for a match to light the candle... He reached deeper..... He dove in with both hands, becoming more frantic in his search....... He looked up at his love and blushed deep red, heat creeping up from under his collar.  

"Forget the matches?" She chuckled.  _S_ _till the Copia I know and love. My awkward, disorganized, unbelievably kind, gentleman Cardinal._  She thought to herself, looking at the way he blushed and feeling luckier than ever to have him. "We can pretend." She said and blew out the fire-less candle. "You know, I didn't tell you it was my birthday because I didn't want you to go to any trouble." She said to the Cardinal, looking into his eyes. 

"Nonsense." The Cardinal said, popping the top off the champagne and filing both their glasses. "It is never any trouble if when I get to spend my days making your eyes sparkle like they are now. Happy birthday my Love," He raised his glass "and many more." 


End file.
